


the bunker

by brights (orphan_account)



Category: Borderlands
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 17:10:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7516364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/brights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a <i>sacred</i> place, and Timothy isn't too sure about all of this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the bunker

Being the mayor of a recently constructed city such as Opportunity was definitely something new for him, but it wasn’t terrible. Timothy stood on the balcony at the top of the building, where he liked to go at the end of a long day. He checked his watch, it was just after seven o’clock, and he should’ve been at home hours ago. He could see the entire city from where he stood, noting that the stars were finally out, and Timothy thought that they looked beautiful, even on the reflective glass windows. The stars reminded him of his freckles a bit, how much he missed them, too, but he quickly dismisses the thought as he hears footsteps approaching him.

  
  
  


“Hey, sexy,” an all too familiar voice greets him, and Timothy turns around to face Jack, who’s smiling at him. He’s still not used to being someone’s body double, even after all of this time. He had to admit, he didn’t regret his decision as much as he had before, because things were much different now. Jack’s voice is teasing, and Timothy’s grown used to that part, at least. “Little bit chilly out here, isn’t it?”

  
  
  


Timothy chuckles, shaking his head at the older man, “Not too bad. What are you doing here?” The question slips out quickly enough to make him regret asking, and he wishes that he could just jump off of the balcony and die at that moment. “I mean, it’s not bad that you’re here, I just... “

  
  
  


“You weren’t expecting me,” Jack says, and he’s still smiling at Timothy, and it makes him think that Jack is definitely up to something now, because he never just pops in for a visit. “Can’t I just come and see my favorite body double? You’re the real deal, kiddo, remember?”

  
  
  


A nod, and then a content sigh when Jack runs his fingers through identical brown strands. Jack’s voice is in his ear, low, “I want for you to come with me, I want to show you something.” Timothy obliges, nodding in response, and Jack praises him a great deal before the two of them get into Jack’s car and ride off together. It’s  _ almost  _ relieving to Timothy to be able to see Jack today, though he didn’t think he’d ever get used to the not so subtle way that Jack hit on him. It was all worth it though, Timothy thinks.

  
  
  


The ride is a bit long, and Timothy begins to ramble about his day at work, about the employees that had suddenly become unruly, and he admits to Jack that he terminated them in the same way that he would. Jack’s smile at the admission is almost deadly, and Timothy feels as if he might just die from the way that Jack looks over at him, almost lovingly. It’s quiet, Timothy realizes, and he feels that he needs to just keep on speaking, just to keep the tension from rising any further. And so, he continues rambling, about nothing in particular, until they finally reach their destination.

  
  
  


“This doesn’t look like any of our other sites,” Timothy says, as he exits the car, and Jack is right behind him. There are notably different buildings, much different than he was used to in Opportunity. He took in the sight of the different loaders helping around the scene, and Jack sighs contently. It wasn’t often that Timothy was able to just watch loaders at work, and it was truly something.

  
  
  


“So, walk with me, talk with me,” Jack says, and suddenly, he’s got Timothy by the hand, walking him right past a constructor bot and back into what appeared to be another winding road. “Now, what I’ve got you with me for is to show you something. I’ve never shown anyone else this place other than my doctors and of course, the loaders. For protection, of course. With you though, it’s something different.”

  
  
  


If Timothy wasn’t nervous before, he certainly was now. Once they moved onto a small flight of stairs, Jack continued to speak, his voice softening ever so slightly, “You know, what I’m going to show you… It’s a sacred place. Somewhere where…” Jack trails off, and he’s staring up at the starlit sky, and the sudden intake of air through his nostrils is all too obvious to Timothy, who feels as if he should at least say something, something to somehow encourage Jack that it’s alright. They stand in that spot for what seems like a few minutes, and Jack clears his throat, “Just know that it’s sacred.”

  
  
  


And the rest of the walk is slow, made even more painfully so by the painful silence between them. Jack stops suddenly at a door, and they’ve finally made it, from the looks of things. The look on Jack’s face is one of deep regret, and Timothy almost says something about it, but he doesn’t, because Jack is opening the door now, and he’s leading Timothy into what seems to be a dark tunnel, but the further that they walk, the more he can see, and he can tell that this place means so much more to him than Jack was originally letting on. The plants, the perfect tiles on the ground, it was so much more than just another place that was owned by Hyperion.

  
  
  


“This… Jack… This is too much,” Timothy stammers, and then he continues when Jack shoots him somewhat of a glare. “This is just… a lot. You don’t have to show me this place if you don’t want to. I can tell… I can feel that it’s special.”

  
  
  


“Can you, now?” Jack’s tone is almost somber, all while remaining deadly. “Do you know why this place is sacred?” And Jack uses the word again, and Timothy can feel his heart sinking, his fingers are trembling at his sides now, and looking at Jack, for the first time in his life is like looking into a mirror. He shakes his head slightly in response to the question that’s lingering in the air between them. And then, all at once, Timothy Lawrence can feel himself beginning to understand deeper than he ever could before.

  
  
  


“This was where Angel lived.”

  
  
  


_ Oh _ .

  
  
  


Like a rush, his pulse quickens as Jack purses his lips tightly, a sure sign that he was extremely uncomfortable with talking about it. Timothy sighs, moving closer to Jack, but he’s walking further now, and his voice is almost a whisper, barely audible, speaking about how much he loved her, how much regret he has. It’s at this point that Handsome Jack actually seems human. Once they’ve reached the top of the platform, Jack sits down, his feet hanging off of the side of it. Timothy joins him, much farther from the edge, trying his hardest not to look down. His fear of heights would never abandon him, it seemed.

  
  
  


It seems like Jack can talk forever, but right now, he’s quiet, staring at the stars in the distance. He smiles a little, turns to Timothy, who he’s caught staring right at him. “We used to come up here sometimes, when she was little. She never understood why I did those things. I know, though. It was all for her.”

  
  
  


Justification of any kind is alright for Jack right now, and so Timothy lets him have this, lets him believe what he wants to believe, though he had to admit that the somber mood didn’t really suit Jack. It stays quiet for a long while, and Timothy finds himself lost in the stars, and once again, he’s thinking about his freckles, but he’s interrupted when Jack exhales slowly, then pushes himself back to stand up, and he had to admit, it made him extremely nervous to watch him stand on somewhat unsteady feet. If Handsome Jack would have fallen, he wouldn’t have known how to feel.

  
  
  


“This place is almost like a church to me,” Jack says, and he’s looking back over the Bunker now. “And you’re the only one that knows that, Jack.” Timothy almost winces at the name, but he accepts it, because this is Jack, and he knows that he’s not supposed to use his old name anymore.

  
  
  


Timothy stands up next to Jack and speaks, his voice soft, “Handsome Jack, sir, if I might, I think that Angel loves you, too.” And the look that Jack gives him, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape, almost makes Timothy lose his balance. He knows that the statement was bold, knows that Jack could throw him off of the top of the Bunker and no one would know about it. He’s actually expecting it, the more he thinks about it.

  
  
  


But it never comes. Only a sigh and a softened look, “You think so? Well, tell me, where do you think she is?” And Timothy freezes, because he really, really, isn’t trying to sound cheesy, and his creative writing degree wouldn’t help him here, because he had no way to coat the absolutely cliche words in a poetic way.

  
  
  


He feels embarrassment overcoming him, and honestly, he’s  _ terrified _ . He’s nervous, scared of falling, suddenly, and he almost feels like he’s going to, so, against his better judgement, he moves close to Jack, before spilling the words out of his mouth. “I think that she’s in the stars, you know--” He’s so dead, he thinks, because Jack is looking at him with a look on his face that he can’t quite decode. “She’s everywhere. All around you right now.” He hopes that Jack isn’t going to absolutely murder him right now.

  
  
  


“Everywhere, huh?” Jack seems to be lost in thought again, and he smiles at Timothy, walks close to him and places an arm around him. It’s been far too long since Timothy has felt any sort of contact with another person, and even if this person was Jack, it was a nice feeling. Jack walks with him, back down the stairs of the platform, and just past a room with yellow caution tape blocking the door.

  
  
  


He’s got his hands on Timothy’s shoulders now. “Wait for me, here, I’ve got to go and pay some respects… To my Angel. I’m going to tell her about you,  _ Timothy _ .”

  
  
  


Timothy feels almost compelled to cry now, and he probably will, once Jack is in the room. It’s been so long since he’s actually heard someone else use his name, and for the person to be Jack, it made him feel so…  _ happy _ . He’s certain that Jack knows this, too, because he’s smiling at him, just before he leans down to the switch and mumbles something, and then he disappears, and it’s the first time that Timothy has ever seen Jack with his head hung low.


End file.
